Hard Candy (2005)

Hard Candy

It's been a while since I have posted a movie review I know. But today I went by the video store and picked up a few titles. The first one I grabbed was the one I am reviewing here. I have heard some about this movie, nothing that I specifically remember as good or bad, but I do remember Reed mentioning seeing it in the theater.

The Good:
The use of light and color was fantastic. The way the director and cinematographer and lighting director worked together to construct a film that reflects the fact the main character was a photographer is the crowning acheivement of this picture for sure, it was amazing.
Interesting take on Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
The pacing was well done, using the music and silence in appropriate and interesting ways.

The Bad:
The acting was alright, but it could have been a whole lot better.
The story was a little two dimesional, not that I need twists and subplots to enjoy a movie but a little more character development would have been nice.
I had no sympathy for either character, not that I wouldn't have had sympathy for a person in either situation, just not these two characters in this movie.

Overall: I would say I felt sleazy after watching, but it did raise interet questions about the nature and use of vigilantism. I would give this film a cake, well a cake made of a base of Lolita (1997) followed by a layer of One Hour Photo and finally top it off with a little dab of Swimming with Sharks (without the dark comedy).

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night

The Good:
I liked the secondary characters a great deal, they seemed to give the town life.
I enjoyed the "The Stranger" character a lot, sort of a combination between Renfield and Festus from Gunsmoke.
Certain aspects of the vampires were cool (their speed, their language, pack cohesion).
Cool concept, but that is more a commentary on the graphic novel than the film I think.

The Bad:
I disliked most of the main characters, they seemed to be bland and flat.
I would have liked for it to be a little more subtle... at least for a little longer than it was.
Wouldn't a week or more of constant even light snowfall cover up a bloody spot in the snow on the ground?
It wasn't really all that exciting or scary.
I prefer a more limited consistent POV than this film provided (it is not necessary in all films, but the continuity of his movie wasn't engaging enough to inconsistently jump around from person to person - even though it only did so seldomly).

Overall: The vampires themselves were the most interesting part of the film. Other than that, I prefer Lost Boys, or Near Dark, or Fright Night, or maybe even Blade.